Fire near Applegate Lake fully lined – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2021-04-23

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Fire near Applegate Lake fully lined By Nick Morgan Updated: Apr 23, 2021 05:49 PM A A A firefighter works the Bearswallow Ridge Fire burning west of Applegate Lake. The fire, which broke midday Thursday and grew to 32 acres by Friday, is now fully lined and partially contained. Oregon Department of Forestry photo. The Bearswallow Ridge fire grew to 32 acres in one day A wildfire that started midday Thursday in southwest Jackson County is now fully contained and partially mopped up. The Bearswallow Ridge fire west of Applegate Lake was fully lined Friday after growing to 32 acres, according to a release issued by the Oregon Department of Forestry. The ODF Southwest Oregon District’s detection center cameras first spotted the fire shortly before noon Thursday, and initially dispatched two engines to the fire burning in steep terrain in the wilderness. Upon arrival, crews estimated the fire to be 2 acres and growing, and called for backup that included a bulldozer and a U.S. Forest Service fire engine. The fire had spread to about 5 acres in the first 90 minutes of the firefight, and winds carried the wildfire to a footprint of more than 20 acres by 6 p.m. Thursday. Crews worked the fire overnight, and got a line entirely around it Friday, according to ODF, and GPS mapping showed that the wildfire burned 32 acres. As of an ODF update released shortly after 4 p.m. Friday, two crews totaling 30 firefighters had mopped up 30% of the fire. Crews will stay on scene until the fire is entirely mopped up, according to ODF.